Improved school-desk and musical insthtjment



tinted 5i tutti @zum i @it W. O. TROWBRIDGE, OF NEWTON CORNER,ASSIGrNOR1 TO MASON AND HAMLIN ORGAN COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

Lezers Patent No. 83,008, dated october' 13, 186s.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of thesame.

To all 'whom 'tt may concer-11,

Be it known that I, W; O. TROWBRIDGE, of Newton Corner, in the county ofMiddlesex, and State of Massaehusetts, have invented a CombinedSchool-Desk and Keyed Musical Instrument; and I do hereby declare thatthe following, taken in connection with the drawings' which accompanyand form part of this specification, is a description of my inventionsuihcient to enable those skilled in the art to practise it.

In primary-school rooms, and in other small school-l rooms occupied bybut comparativelyl few scholars, it is generally impracticable to have apiano-forte, or other keyed musical instrument, on account of want ofavailable room for such an instrument.

Th teachers desk, however, is an essential article in every such room,and my invention has reference to combining in one article the teachersdesk and a keyed musical instrument, without any particular change inthe form of the desk, and without detracting from its drawer anddesk-room.

My invention consistsin combining, with an ordinary desk, the mechanismof a keyed musical instrument, the key-board, or bank of keys, beingconcealed from view when the desk is to be used as a desk, but being soarranged, and the desk so constructed, that Athe keys may be exposed tosight and touch, and may be brought into proper position for playing,whenever desirable. l

The. drawing represents a desk embodying my invention.

A, shows a front elevation.

B, an end view.

C, a plan of the same.

The desk is an ordinary school-desk, such as is used in many of thepublic schools insome parts of the country.

a denotes the desk proper, surmounting a table, b, beneath which are thedrawers c c, the whole mounted on legs d. Between the drawers c c, is acase, e, containing strings or reeds, and having at its front a keyboardsupporting a bank of keys, f.

In the instrument here represented, e denotes a melodeon, orreed-containing case; g denotes the exhaust-bellows', and h the pedalfor operating the same; the bellows, pedal, reeds, wind-chest, swell,and keys being the same in their construction and arrangement as inother instruments of this class.

The cases is shown as arranged to slide out and in 'upon ways t, it'being ordinarily (or when the musical instrument is not in use) whollyunder the desk; but the key-board and keys being projected to the frontof the desk, (by drawing out the case,) when the musical instrument .isto be used, the keys, when so projected,I being in the most convenientposition for a person sitting at the desk to play upon them. Y

At the front edge of the key-board is a hinged flap or let-down door la,which, when the case c is shoved in, is turned up, and closes the keysfrom sight, and which is turned down when the keys are drawn ont. Whenthe key-board is drawn out, it may be kept in position by aspring-catch, l.

' It will thus be seenthat the musical instrument is added to the deskwithout dctraction from the utility, or omthe style and form of thedesk; that it occupies no room not occupied by a desk having no suchaddition; that the keys are as favorably disposed for playing as in anordinary keyed musical instrnment and q n s 7 that an instrument can befurnished 1n this iorm at a much less cost than where it has to beencased in iinished woods and mounted upon a finished frame, as in anordinary instrument.

Vith such an arrangement, a teacher always has the musical instrument ather immediate command, withoutmoving from her desk,and can thusinstantly summon the aid of music for the recreation, diversion, orinstruction of her scholars. f

I claim, in combination with a desk, a keyed musical instrument, soarranged that its keys may be concealed from view, or may be broughtinto position for playing, substantially as set forth.

W. O. TROWBRIDGE.

Witnesses: l

J. B. CROSBY, FRANoIs GoULD.

